Reports

I am pleased to present my president’s report for the 9 months since the last AGM in April 2017.

This is a huge privilege and pleasure for me to be able to work with my council for the past nine months. We had had many projects and events, which were either SLOBA-initiated or collaborated with the School. The 90th Anniversary Dinner on April 22, 2018 is probably one of the biggest projects SLOBA has jointly organized with the School. A series of promoting events were started by a Taiwan cycling trip with a group of students and teachers in July 2017. An interactive talk after the trip was subsequently organized under the platform of SLOBA exchange. A special edition of Ming Pao on 8 November 2017 was published with interview of a few alumni. The organizing committee has planned a public talk in the Central Library in March 2018, in which three out of the four speakers will be alumni. Up till now, there are more than 200 tables being booked by alumni or for guests in the Hong Kong Conventional and Exhibition Centre. While the preparatory work is actively prepared by the organizing committee, we are still appealing for donation as torchbearers. Each torchbearer will donate $5000 or more to cover the expenses to sponsor dinner tickets to clergymen, long serving teachers and student representatives. Let me take this opportunity to thank the hard working organizing committee of the 90th Anniversary Dinner and we all look forward to attending the event.

Fr. Antony Bogadek is one of the most respected icons in the history of St. Louis School. Over the years, Fr. Bogadek had taught generations of alumni to prepare a lot of beautiful specimens in the Biology Laboratory. In view of the recent tragic loss of specimens, SLOBA has initiated a project to set up a museum in order to preserve and collect the remaining specimens. The museum was later named by Father Bogadek as SLS Biology Museum-FAB. SLOBA has appealed alumni and friends for support in fund raising. A soft opening was launched on the Open Day on 12 November 2017, when many alumni visited the museum. Fr. Bogadek gave his speech and blessed the museum.

We participated in the Open Day in November 2017 with promotion booth. Many alumni returned with their family to the School, where they met and chatted with their old friends, teachers and clergymen. SLOBA had set a promotion booth and our souvenir items were welcome by the alumni.

DSE Study Group is a long term program since Sep 2016. It targets under-performed S5 students to catch up with the curriculum. A classroom was dedicated for the after- school study with the supervision and monitoring from volunteer alumni and teachers. Study schedule of students were reinforced by the program, which was welcome by increasing number of students. In June 2017, the program had extended to S4 students. While it would be unrealistic to expect all students to result in university entry, a corresponding career advice will be individualized to each student.

Father Deane Achievement Awards aims at recognizing students for remarkable contributions to the School or personal achievement in sports, art, science and social community work. The “FDAA–Excel and Beyond Program” aims at recognize students with remarkable extra-curriculum activities. The Awards are presented annually at the Speech Day.

Deane-Foster Chapter was established as a subsidiary of SLOBA to contribute to the continuous well-being of St Louis School, in accordance with the Salesian

educational vision and mission. The latter is guided by the Preventive System of Don Bosco, as exemplified by the late Fr. Patrick Deane and Fr. John Foster. The inauguration of Deane Foster Chapter was organized on 18 Oct 2017. It aims at promoting activities, programs and projects at the service of St Louis school stakeholders involving teachers, students and parents.

Clergyman Care Team Program was initiated by a group of Class 86 old boys who paid intermittent visits on Saturday afternoon the father and brothers living in the Salesian hostel on the top floor in St Louis School. The team members chatted with the clergymen during the visits and tried to know their daily and potential health need. SLOBA Medical Link had given advice to the health issues of the clergymen.

SLOBA has prepared a few sponsors every year to class gathering for every 5th year of graduation. The most senior class we sponsored was class 1957 for the last couple of months. The biggest gathering was a joint gathering with class 1982 and 1977. The Aloysian Fellowship had appointed Dr Lam Kwong Chin as the new Convenor and will continue its communication with the alumni via the Head-boys of each class. The Medical Link had few small group gatherings during the year.

SLOBA has a long tradition to give advice to the projects of the Youth Club. In return, the works of SLOBA is introduced to the students. Many of our council members were committee of Youth Club in student days. A visit to the company HAECO Hong Kong was organized for the students as they widened their horizons in aviation business. SLOBA exchange V was organized for CV sharing and interview for alumni.

Sports activities are important element of SLOBA. We won the second runner-up in a soccer game being organized by the Federation of Don Bosco. A tennis competition was held among alumni and the students to promote tennis playing in the School.

We were in deep sorrow when we organize the memorial masses for Fr. John Foster and our ex-president Mr. Martin So during the year.

I am truly indebted to my council members and especially their families, as we used to have long evening meetings till midnight. Last but not least, the support of alumni is the most important element of SLOBA. I am sure we could understand what this means when we see the crowd in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center on 22 April 2018. Please remember to visit our Facebook, regular update your contact in our website and ask your classmates to sign up our membership.